Center News
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October is National Work & Family Month: In celebration of National Work & Family Month, BCCWF has participated in numerous activities. Here are links to some of the highlights from this month. For members, please also see the Virtual Roundtable site for a new post or resource every weekday throughout the month of October!
United States Senate Resolution on National Work & Family Month
Brad Harrington presents at Congressional Briefing on Men and Work-Life
Recaps of Congressional Briefing by Ellen Galinsky and World at Work
New Video Series: A Day at the Center for Work & Family
National Work & Family Month Blogs on Huffington Post
Work-Life Wednesday: National Work and Family Month
Boston.com How to Juggle the Work-Life Balance
Fathers Know Best
The cover story of this month's Human Resource Executive highlights the changing roles of fathers in today's workforce, as well as organizational policies that help to support men & fathers. This article features an interview with Brad Harrington, Executive Director, CWF, and more information about the CWF study The New Dad: Caring, Committed, and Conflicted. Brad Harrington was also interviewed on The New Dad study for the Mom Enough Show. Listen here.
On his recent trip to Singapore, Brad Harrington was interviewed by HRM Asia about how employers can adopt progressive workplace practices regardless of whether they're a multinational company or small and medium enterprise.
2011 Work/Life & Flexibility Expo, Minneapolis MN October 11, 2011 Brad Harrington delivered a keynote presentation on Workplace Flexibility - Overcoming the Implementation Gap and a breakout session on fatherhood. Click here for additional information Video of reaction to Brad's presentation.
Working Mother Work Life Congress, New York October 18-20, 2011 Director of Corporate Partnerships Danielle Hartmann facilitated a session on Work-Life Communications with Kathy Kacher of Career Life Alliance Services. Congratulations to member Maureen Corcoran for being honored with the Ted Childs Life Work Excellence Award!
Fox 25 Boston Work-Life Wednesdays We are pleased to partner with Fox 25 News Boston on a morning news segment featuring issues around work, life and families. We have a new web page that provides links to all video segments as well as related resources on the topics covered. Recent episodes include: National Work and Family Month Millennials in the Workplace Chore Wars Working Moms OK for Kids Vacation Season The New Dad Workplace Flexibility Working Mom Guilt Who Stays Home? Americans not using their vacation days Check back monthly for additional segments. BCCWF Job Openings The BC Center for Work & Family is currently seeking qualified candidates for 2 job postings: 1. Corporate Partnerships Member Relations Specialist (FT) 2. Fiscal Specialist (PT-12 hours/week) Please visit the BC Careers page for complete details. NEW Research Participation/Sponsorship Opportunities
The New Dad: Getting to know the needs of fathers in your organization Do men and fathers feel acknowledged and supported by your organization? What steps can you take to increase engagement and satisfaction? As a continuation of our New Dad research, BCCWF would be happy to work with you to survey the fathers at your company and provide recommendations based on our years of research and survey responses from your own employees. For more information contact Fred Van Deusen.
Next Steps in Flexibility: The Manager Factor Would you like to join award-winning Ryan LLC and MedImmune in participating in a new flexibility project conducted by Life Meets Work , Career/Life Alliance Services and the Boston College Center for Work and Family? Our goal is to document middle managers' concerns about workplace flexibility and test a new approach to overcome them. The result of this research will be a blueprint for organizations to build a truly flexible work culture. For additional information about the study and participation click here.
BCCWF Blog As the issues we study are generating widespread interest, we would like to share more of our thoughts with a broader audience through the BCCWF Blog. Posts will primarily be reflections that members have already had the opportunity to preview in our Executive Director's Corner. Please feel free to share the link with others who may have an interest in our work!
Connect with BCCWF! The Boston College Center for Work & Family is on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube! Our BCCWF Video Library on YouTube is a great way to learn more about the Center for Work & Family. We hope you'll follow us and share your news and thoughts! We look forward to keeping in touch with you by posting news and links to publications. If you have questions, please contact Jennifer Fraone |
Work-Life Resources | The White House and National Science Foundation Announce New Workplace Flexibility Policies to Support America's Scientists and Their Families
White House Council on Women and Girls Executive Director Tina Tchen, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John P. Holdren, and National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Subra Suresh announced the "NSF Career-Life Balance Initiative," a 10-year plan to provide greater work-related flexibility to women and men in research careers.
Many companies in North America having trouble attracting critical-skill employees The 2011/2012 Towers Watson North American Talent Management and Rewards Survey, conducted in early summer 2011, found that six out of ten employers report having trouble retaining critical-skill employees. In addition, most organizations are expecting employees to work more hours now than before the recession and many expect this to continue. Exercise Sometimes Linked to Reduced Worker Productivity New research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that workers with high stress levels who also had high levels of exercise were significantly less productive than other employees. The authors hypothesized that some employees cope with stress by exercising more and working less, so workplace wellness programs need to be careful with promoting exercise as a cure for all employees' stressors. Millennials Speak: A New Generation Seeks Focus, Flexibility and Feedback Rupert and Company recently worked with nine leading employers on some very eye-opening research. They conducted 22 focus groups with 205 millennials determining their views on flexibility. The executive summary and full report are now available on their website. The Strategic Use of Flexibility Cali Williams Yost and Donna Miller contributed this article to Talent Management. As the dust settles from the Great Recession and a new economic reality emerges, businesses are beginning to take a hard look at how they can manage their talent for maximum business impact. Businesses are moving beyond the traditional one-size-fits-all model of work and career and taking a more strategic, flexible approach. Work and Family Research: Moving the Field Forward Judi Casey introduces us to the New Work and Family Researchers Network (WFRN) in this Huffington Post Blog. |
National Workforce Roundtable |
Welcome to the National Workforce Roundtable, Genentech, Inc.! Genentech has been delivering on the promise of biotechnology for more than 30 years, using human genetic information to discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. Please join us in welcoming Monica Poindexter, Director, Diversity & Inclusion to the Roundtable!
Upcoming Events
November 2-4, 2011
National Work & Family Roundtable Fall Meeting in Boston, MA
REGISTER ONLINE
The Hotel Commonwealth
Room Reservations: 1-866-784-4000;
The Hotel Room cut-off date has passed but there may still be rooms available at the Hotel Commonwealth. Please make your reservations as soon as possible if you have not already.
Presenters Include:
Upcoming Webconferences
Wellbeing and Work: Towards a Balanced Agenda
Dr. Cary Cooper CBE, Lancaster University Management School
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
10:00-11:00am EST
Webconference Flyer
Register Now
Recent Events
Recent WebConference: Engagement without borders: How global organizations are building employee engagement
Featuring Fraser Marlow & Mary Ann Masarech, Blessing White
MEMBER RESOURCES
Listserv Summaries
We welcome recommendations, comments, and questions about the Roundtable -- please contact Catie Maillard at 617-552-2868 or [email protected]
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Global Workforce Roundtable |
UPCOMING EVENTS
Web-conferences:
November 16: Financial Wellness Across the Globe: A look at how multinational companies are helping employees better manage their personal finances
Fred Van Deusen, Senior Research Associate, CWF; Kevin Close, VP Global Compensation and Benefits, EMC, & Davy Deegan, Senior Director HR EMEA, EMC
10:00-11:00am EST, Time Zone Converter
Webconference Flyer
REGISTER NOW
December 13: Wellbeing and Work: Towards a Balanced Agenda
Dr. Cary Cooper CBE, Lancaster University Management School,
10:00-11:00am EST, Time Zone Converter
Webconference Flyer
REGISTER NOW
Global Summit 2012
Johnson & Johnson has offered to host our next Global Workforce Roundtable Summit in Sao Paulo, Brazil!
Recent Events:
Engagement Without Borders: How Global Organizations Build Employee Engagement featuring Fraser Marlow & May Ann Masarech, Blessing White
o Webconference Recording
o Presentation Slides
o Tip Sheet: Employee Engagement Conversation Starters
MEMBER RESOURCES
Listserv Summaries
GLOBAL RESOURCES
U.S. Assisted Living Model to be Tried in China
Two Seattle-based companies plan to open the first American-operated senior facility in China. Chinese families used to rely on children and grandchildren to care for aging parents, but people are working long hours, and options for senior care are limited.
Management Negatively Affects Employee Engagement in UK
UK firms suffer from a lack of respect for senior management, according to a recent ORC International survey. The negative perception of British management teams is cementing the UK's position as a laggard in terms of employee engagement, say authors of the ORC's Global Perspectives survey.
Top Reason for Employee Absence: Stress Absenteeism and presenteeism (being present without being productive), costs Australian employers $10.11bn every year, and new research has shown the top reason is actually stress.
Have a question about what's happening at the Center for Work & Family? Please contact us - we always love to hear from you!
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New England Work & Family Association |
RECENT EVENTS: NEWFA Member Showcase: September 21, 2011
The NEWFA Member Showcase: Innovations in Work-Life was a great success! Thanks to those members and sponsors who participated, especially our Showcase presenters! Visit the Members-only website to view a summary of the Showcase and the meeting presentation. Thanks to our Meeting Sponsor Care.com and Table Sponsors MomCorps and Encompass Education!
NEWFA NORTH Meeting Thank you to our member Timberland for hosting our NEWFA North Meeting on October 3, 2011. Our group had a lively discussion about workplace flexibility, Millennials in the workplace, and other current topics. We hope to follow this regional meeting with another in Connecticut in 2012. If your organization is interested in hosting a regional NEWFA meeting, please contact Jennifer Fraone.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic or speaker for future NEWFA Meetings?
Please contact Jennifer Fraone at 617-552-2862 or [email protected]
December Virtual Meeting Wellbeing and Work: Towards a Balanced Agenda
Dr. Cary Cooper CBE Lancaster University Management School
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 from 10:00-11:00am EST
Webconference Flyer Register Now Save the Date: March 28, 2011-NEWFA Meeting at Boston College Topic TBA
Global and National Roundtable Members receive complimentary membership in NEWFA! If your organization has representatives in New England, we would love to get them involved! For more information about NEWFA, please contact Jennifer Fraone at 617-552-2862 or [email protected].
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Virtual Roundtable |
We hope your National Work & Family Month Celebrations are off to a great start! In honor of National Work & Family Month, we will be hosting a work-life calendar within the CWF Virtual Roundtable that will be updated daily with information related to the plethora of topics that are relevant to the field of work-life. Please see the calendar below for a sneak-peek into the topics we have planned throughout the month, and please check in often to view the new information and resources that have been posted. Please sign up or sign in in order to access all of these resources!
Please contact Catie Maillard at [email protected] if you would like a tutorial of the CWF Virtual Roundtable or would like more information about joining and participating. The Virtual Roundtable is available only to BCCWF members.
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About the Center for Work & Family |
Mission
The Boston College Center for Work & Family is committed to enhancing the quality of life of today's workforce by providing leadership for the integration of work and life, an essential for individual, organizational, and community success. Our vision is that employers and communities will work together to ensure their mutual prosperity and the well being of employees and their families.
Values
Bridging Research and Practice
We seek to advance the depth and quality of knowledge in the work-life field and serve as a bridge between academic research and organizational practice.
Transforming Organizations
We believe any work-life initiative is also an organizational change initiative. We help identify and develop organizational models to meet the needs of a contemporary workforce and provide expertise to assist in implementing these changes successfully.
Strengthening Society
We believe employers who recognize and manage the interdependence of work, family, and community build stronger organizations and a more vibrant society.
For more information about the Center for Work & Family visit our website at www.bc.edu/cwf or review our CWF brochure. To contact us please e-mail [email protected] or call 617-552-2844.
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We are appreciative of your support and proud to have your organization as our corporate partner. Any feedback on this newsletter or about the Center for Work & Family is always welcome!
Sincerely,
Jennifer S. Fraone Assistant Director, Marketing and NEWFA Boston College Center for Work & Family [email protected]
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Executive Director's Corner
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WORK-FAMILY MONTH: LARGE POLICIES, SMALL MOMENTS
In honor of Work-Family Month, I was asked to write a piece on the subject. Many excellent articles by our field's leading thinkers have recently appeared exploring policies and programs that could or should be implemented in the interest of advancing work and family. They convey that making progress will take large-scale organizational changes and perhaps new government policies (a pipe dream, perhaps, in the present US political environment.)
Beyond all the needed strategic policy changes so well voiced by my colleagues, I also deeply believe that change will only occur when individuals make the right choices in the thousands of small moments that unfold over the course of their lives...perhaps a more daunting task than redeeming our political discourse. So rather than repeat what has already been said, let me share one example that jumped to mind as I reflect on this occasion.
One of my endearing behaviors arriving home from work each day is to do a quick "final check" on my work e-mail the moment I walk through the door. I'm not sure where I developed this habit, but I justify it as a key step in transitioning from work to family. I'm quite compulsive about this whether I'm arriving after my daily commute from the office or returning from an extended business trip.
Last fall, I was on my way home at the end of the day after picking up my (then) 15 year-old daughter. I pride myself on always being open to those meaningful father-daughter conversations one sees in the movies - where dad demonstrates active listening and sensitivity and disseminates large doses of wisdom. But I like to have those conversations on my schedule. This particular day on our brief ride home, Maggie and I discussed her potential areas of interest. It may have been in the context of thinking about college or perhaps just increasing her involvement in extra-curricular activities at school. I doled out the usual clich�s: "Do something you are interested in" and, "Just follow your passion." But my daughter was stuck and admitted her passions weren't 100% in focus.
As we pulled into the driveway I was already eagerly anticipating my e-mail ritual, and began to wrap-up the conversation, offering one more closing "pearl" to cement my place in the Fatherhood Hall-Of-Fame. As I reached for the car door, Maggie said, "There is one thing I am interested in." Having made my closing point, my initial reaction was, "Well, we'll save that for another time." Instead I asked, "What is that?" She replied, "I'm interested in social media and how it can change things in the world."
At this point I wasn't sure what to say. I thought about "You're kidding" or "Don't they have a chess club or an ultimate Frisbee team at school?" But then realized this was one of those moments where further inquiry might be the wisest course of action. So I asked what exactly she meant. She told me about young activists she admired who were doing charitable work around the world not through the Peace Corps or some other large organizations, but rather through small individual efforts that they promoted via YouTube. She asked if she could show me their sites, and resisting the emails summoning me, I said "Sure."
I was impressed by both the work of these caring Millennials, and also by Maggie's feeling of connection to that work. I told her that we used social media at the Center to try to advance the work-family agenda. Maggie later explored and arranged, with the help of our communications director, a brief internship at our Center last summer. She learned about our work and helped us develop our social media, including some videos focused on communicating "a day in the life at the Center for Work & Family."
Then recently, Maggie asked Annie (her Mom), if she could take her to the Occupy Boston protests. She brought her flip-cam and captured the spirit and rallying cries of the movement. That night she edited her video into a three-minute montage of the chanting crowds. On Tuesday, I was speaking at the Work-Life Expo in Minneapolis, and Annie e-mailed me a link to a Huffington Post article "Occupy Wall Street: Citizen Journalists Document Protests Nationwide." When you scrolled down past the scenes of New York, LA, and Chicago, there was one video called Occupy Boston Chants from a 16 year-old "citizen journalist."
I was obviously very proud of Maggie (even if she did have more hits than any of my own YouTube videos.) But it also caused me to reflect on that conversation we had in my car nearly one year earlier. Work e-mails and compulsive habits beckoned and the time was not of my choosing but as they say, life happens. And on those all-too-rare instances when you have the awareness to recognize the moment, you realize that no policy in the world is needed to be mindful of those you hold most dear.
Happy National Work and Family Month!!
Brad [email protected] |
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